Well said Titus

[Snake 0]

From The Voice newspaper, Tuesday:

 

 

 

Titus Bramble does not even bother to give interviews anymore.

And why should he? For the last six years he has been the recipient of some lacerating media coverage.

 

His so-called lapses in concentration have been jumped on by a section of the press, who seem only too eager to humiliate the Ipswich-born centre-halve.

 

In a sport where your every performance is analysed microscopically, criticism is expected. But when it becomes personal, well that’s another issue.

 

“It was Brian Oliver [sports Editor] at the Newcastle Chronicle that started it and it all got rather personal,” Bramble explains to the Voice of Sport about the vitriolic criticism he has received from the mainstream press.

 

“After he started, people just started jumping on the bandwagon and started saying this and that about me. I used to read the papers and get quite down, but Kieron Dyer told me not to let it bother me.

 

“To be honest, for awhile I’ve thought that certain journalists have an agenda with me. Of course it hurts, no one likes to read things like that but again that’s just football.

 

“The criticism hurts my family more than it hurts me – especially my mum. She reads the paper and gets upset but I tell her it’s personal and not to read them.

 

“For me to be playing as many games as I have done in the Premier League, I must be doing something right. I’ve been playing in the top flight since I was 19 and I’ve worked under some very good managers, so they must see something.”

 

Signed last summer by the now departed Chris Hutchings, the former England U-21 international made an encouraging start to his career at Wigan.

 

Playing regularly – something he had not done in his five years at Newcastle – he began to look like the player Bobby Robson had envisaged when he signed him from Ipswich for £5 million in 2002.

 

At Newcastle, the fans never really got to see him at his consistent best, something that affected their relationship.

 

“The Newcastle fans aren’t as good as everybody says,” adds Bramble. “They think that they should be winning things – but why? They haven’t won a trophy for 50 years. It was the fans that got Sam Allardyce the sack there. Can you believe that? The fans up there are powerful but I think he would have brought them success.

“Maybe I should have left Newcastle to get first-team football earlier. You can only really get judged when you are playing week in week out.

 

“At Newcastle I wasn’t playing week in and week out so it was good to get away and get a fresh start. I was always confident in my own ability and when I did get in the Wigan team, I think I was showing some consistent performance.

 

“Around the New Year my form dipped and then the manager took me out of the team, which was fair play to him as the others have come in and done really well.”

 

Bramble has seen his place at the heart of the Wigan defence go to Paul Scharner but he is desperate to win his place back and change the way he is viewed – much like Portsmouth’s David James has.

 

“I just want to get back in the team as soon as possible and look forward to being part of a successful Wigan team.

 

“I look at David James and what he done and he’s an example of how you can reinvent yourself. I could have a very good season next year but it will take two or three seasons for the critics to stop. I think it’s personal – that’s what I think.”

 

[Guest alex]

As I said on N-O: Detritus Bramble. He's got a fucking cheek like.

[luckyluke 2]

I agree they went a bit far sometimes (like still calling him a joker even if he'd been playing well) but it wasn't personal, he was just fucking crap.

[Tom 14021]

“The Newcastle fans aren’t as good as everybody says,” adds Bramble. “They think that they should be winning things – but why? They haven’t won a trophy for 50 years. It was the fans that got Sam Allardyce the sack there. Can you believe that? The fans up there are powerful but I think he would have brought them success.

 

Nobody is saying we have a divine right to win things but it would be fucking nice. Too many people are defending Allardyce! He was fucking shocking!

 

Good job getting Beye, Feye and Viduka though. Enrique too i suppose.

[GafferTape 0]

Surprisingly negative on Newcastle there, I thought. Still, he was absolute shite too much of the time, he was at fault for the two goals we conceded away to Inter and lost out on the 2 points that would have got us through into the old knock out stages.. And that goal against Barcelona. He’s got the reputation for a reason.

[Fop 1]

The off field stuff he completely brought on himself (as with Dyer).

 

 

The on field stuff.... he was lucky to get away with for so long. At 19 you could understand people thinking he could be world class if he could get rid of his flaws, but his just won't go away.

 

James has broadly managed it, but comparing himself to James, maybe shows why they flaws won't go away.

 

 

 

 

 

 

“The Newcastle fans aren’t as good as everybody says,” adds Bramble. “They think that they should be winning things – but why? They haven’t won a trophy for 50 years. It was the fans that got Sam Allardyce the sack there. Can you believe that? The fans up there are powerful but I think he would have brought them success.

 

He's got a guaranteed job as a sports columnist or TV pundit though (his time keeping is off by 10 years for a start).

[Tooj 17]

I like how he's said this after they've already played up here this season.

[Fop 1]

“I look at David James and what he done and he’s an example of how you can reinvent yourself. I could have a very good season next year but it will take two or three seasons for the critics to stop. I think it’s personal – that’s what I think.”

 

Frankly it is personal, how can some one say "you are " with out it being personal.

 

But again I reckon this interview speaks volumes about why his flaws never went away, if someone won't/can't acknowledge them, they simply cannot address them.

[Guest alex]

Peasepud, if you're reading this, didn't you and I have a wager going whereby you tipped Titus for an England spot within 12 months? And wasn't it double or quits on him being MOTM up here when we next played against Wigan at SJP? It was something like that anyway. Dig up the old posts by all means

[Guest alex]

“I look at David James and what he done and he’s an example of how you can reinvent yourself. I could have a very good season next year but it will take two or three seasons for the critics to stop. I think it’s personal – that’s what I think.”

 

Frankly it is personal, how can some one say "you are " with out it being personal.

 

But again I reckon this interview speaks volumes about why his flaws never went away, if someone won't/can't acknowledge them, they simply cannot address them.

In a similar way you can understand how Jenas stagnated here (not that I am a big fan of his by any means) as he probably thought he was doing alright and coasted a bit since he was getting picked not only for NUFC but making England squads regardless of how well he played (and how much he hid when he did play).

[jaythesouthernmag 0]

When you cant get into the Wigan team you know you are shit. Go to the championship with sham-e-obi you shit twat. Fucking comedy defender

[Bombadil 0]

Brian Oliver?

 

And what's the bit about not playing regularly all about? Unfortunately, he seemed to play in most games for us when he was fit - Bramble's problems aren't just about concentration, his injury record is poor as well. Every time he got a prolonged run in the side and seemed to be playing well (for his standards), he got himself injured again and it took him weeks or months to get back to some sort of form.

Edited April 22, 2008 by Bombadil

[acrossthepond 900]

ZZZ tbh.

 

Another ex-player/staff member/total nobody having a go? And it's Titus ffs?

 

Go watch some video footage of yourself - here's one glorious example - and tell me it's personal.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=eLYGVMB9zbk&feature=related

 

When you're 19 that kind of thing can be chalked up experience - but he's 25 now and it's just embarassing to hear him mentioning himself and David James in the same sentence.

[The Fish 11080]

comes across as a very bitter boy. Also slightly delusional, we didn't call him shit because we didn't like him, (I think we stayed by him for longer than we should) we called him shit because of the number of goals he cost us and the number of chances he literally gifted the opposition.

[Jusoda Kid 1]

All tongue in cheek I reckon, I mean he knows the toon fans like a joke, we put up with him long enough sitting in casinos until 4am everynight then going home for a bit hairy ape.

Edited April 22, 2008 by Wacky Jnr

[Asprilla 96]

Twat.

[Dr Gloom 22536]

shocking player. i often wonder how different things might have been under sir bobby if we didn't have titus and o'brien at the back. a solid back four with the players in front of them and we might have done even better than 3rd-5th finishes

[sweetleftpeg 0]

Who the flying fuck is Brian Oliver?

[The Fish 11080]

shocking player. i often wonder how different things might have been under sir bobby if we didn't have titus and o'brien at the back. a solid back four with the players in front of them and we might have done even better than 3rd-5th finishes

 

this is true, I wonder why Bobby was so good at spotting talent like Robert, Bellamy Bernard etc. but lousy at defensive players?

[Guest alex]

shocking player. i often wonder how different things might have been under sir bobby if we didn't have titus and o'brien at the back. a solid back four with the players in front of them and we might have done even better than 3rd-5th finishes

 

this is true, I wonder why Bobby was so good at spotting talent like Robert, Bellamy Bernard etc. but lousy at defensive players?

Woodgate was alright To be honest, Robson probably made more poor signings than good ones. All over the pitch too, not just at the back.

[sweetleftpeg 0]

Wayne Quinn, Bassedas, Cordone..although allegedly he was persuaded by Wadsworth with a few of those..

[Ketsbaia 0]

Only bitter because he's shit

[Fop 1]

shocking player. i often wonder how different things might have been under sir bobby if we didn't have titus and o'brien at the back. a solid back four with the players in front of them and we might have done even better than 3rd-5th finishes

 

this is true, I wonder why Bobby was so good at spotting talent like Robert, Bellamy Bernard etc. but lousy at defensive players?

Woodgate was alright To be honest, Robson probably made more poor signings than good ones. All over the pitch too, not just at the back.

 

Well arguably so does Ferguson, just he tends to be operating at a level where he can sell on his mistakes/not good enoughs for a reasonable amount.

 

But I wouldn't blame Robson for Bramble, to be fair he looked like an unpolished and cut diamond initially, and when here would put some decent (even great on occasion) performances..... before letting everything down with utterly stupid mistakes that were usually very costly.

 

The thing that amazed me more was that Robson, Souness, Roeder and whomever it was at Wigan when he signed, didn't wake up sooner to the fact he was actually just cubic zirconia that would cost you handfuls of points (at best) and vital games (at worse) over a season.

[Guest alex]

Wayne Quinn, Bassedas, Cordone..although allegedly he was persuaded by Wadsworth with a few of those..

Gavilan, Cort, Viana, Jenas. I think he has to shoulder most of the blame there like. In fact swap Gavilan for Bassedas and those four cost about £25m.

[The Fish 11080]

fair points, Trouble is Bramble and Viana were more expensive and therefore bigger failures than those mentioned above.